The Forces of Nature
by Tardecita
Summary: When Jimmy goes after Cindy to Mauritius to warn her about a tsunami that's threatening the island, her vacation turns out a little different from what she expected. Meanwhile, the current events are bringing back memories from way back in time…
1. Fear of What?

**Author's Note:** Hi everybody! What's up? ;)  
I'm back again, with a longer story this time, which I hope you'll all enjoy… The idea actually came to me in a dream and a friend of mine encouraged me to make it into a fanfic! After some thinking, I came up with a pretty good plot, so I decided to try and write it all down…

I seem to choose destinations I don't know much about when I write, and I've managed to do that this time to… So I just have to say:  
**I've never been to Mauritius, so everything is imagination!**

And because I'm lazy, I'll just make one _huge_ disclaimer for the entire story here:

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the show "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius" or any of its characters. I also don't own Mauritius (neither the name nor the island). And I don't own any of the songs I use… (_If you would like to know the name of a song or which artist or group who sings it, just ask! I'll be happy to answer... :)_

All characters that don't appear on the show are mine.  
Names of places, buildings, and persons that don't get mentioned on the show (except Mauritius) are fictional. Any similarity to real names is unintentional.  
I hope that was enough to not sue me… Ehe… Then let's start the story!

* * *

**THE FORCES OF NATURE  
**_by Tardecita_

**CHAPTER 1: Fear of What?**

_Have you ever hated someone without really knowing why?  
__Have you ever loved someone so secretly that you didn't even know about it yourself?_

A young girl at the age of 15 is sitting on the wide sill of her window. The yellow, glowing numbers on her alarm clock shows 2:14 a.m., and considering that it's a school night she should be fast asleep in her bed. But right now it's something else that's more important to her. With her back leant against the left sill and her knees pulled up to her chest, she keeps gazing through the window. Her room, which used to be pink, is dark, but thanks to the dim light from the moon and the streetlights that filters through the window, you can barely see the now blue walls covered with posters and pictures. The girl sits very still in fear of being spotted, but as a soft summer breeze from the ajar window caresses her bare shoulders, she allows her left arm to hug her legs tighter. Her eyes are still aimed at the window of the only room with the light on, in the house on the opposite side of the street. Mixed feelings are ravaging inside her when a person moves about in that room. She sighs and lets the fingertips on her right hand slowly stroke the soft fabric of the cushion she is sitting on. Blonde strands of hair fall in front of her face as she lowers her gaze for a second. Her expression is indeterminable when she looks up again. A single tear finds its way down her left cheek, but she wipes it away quickly. It's obvious that she's unconfident about her feelings towards this person, but when it seems like his gaze freezes for a long moment as he looks in her direction; she can't help but to raise the right corner of her mouth just a little bit and to give a small wave, as if to check if things still are alright. Well, at least as alright as things between these two can be. Her smile becomes a little more evident when she sees that he smiles and waves back at her. She feels a warm sensation spread inside her when she slowly puts her feet down at the fluffy carpet. After one more look out the window to see that he has left his desk and turned off his light, she gets up and heads towards her bed. Moments after she's sound asleep, the soft smile still touching her lips.

A young boy at the age of 16 is on his way out of his lab. As he hits his bedroom floor hard, he silently scolds himself for the billionth time for not fixing the shortcut between the underground lab and his room. He gets up and frowns slightly as he places a hand on the lower part of his back. Several late nights in the lab and the fear of waking up his parents, has forced him to enter his room this way quite a few times lately. He sighs as he heads towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he comes back he sits down by his desk to turn of his computer. As he waits for the machine to shut down so he can push the screen's power button, his gaze happens to turn towards the window, and across the street. He realizes that he has done that a lot lately and turns his head away swiftly, which causes him to catch a sight of his alarm clock. 2:16 a.m. He comes to the conclusion that she can't possibly be up this late, so his head turns again and this time he looks straight at her window. Yes, he was right; there is no light on in her room. Delighted at first because he was right, he finds himself slightly disappointed after a very short while, and understands that his gaze had found its way to her window simply because he actually had hoped to catch a glimpse of her. But as he looks more closely, he can swear that he sees a person sitting on the window sill. He soon recognizes her shadow and knows she's sitting there, probably surveying the night sky while contemplating on things that bother her because she can't get any sleep. As he sits there, gazing towards her dark window, he finds himself, like so many other times before, strangely attracted to the figure on the other side of the glass. He groans silently in frustration, because he knows he shouldn't be, but is completely aware of that he has himself to thank. And when he notices that she rubs her cheek softly as if she wipes away a tear, he feels like he has a heavy lump in his stomach because he knows that he has something to do with it. But then suddenly he sees that she waves. Not a big, obvious wave, but a small one, like she knows he's there. Like she's saying that she refuses to fully believe that he meant what he said on Friday. And he knows he didn't. He returns the wave and smiles gratefully, telling her that he's sorry for the way he acted, before turning the computer screen off. He had waited for a chance to apologize in one way or another the whole weekend. When it seems that she smiles too, as if to say it's okay, he feels relieved as he gets up and walks over to his bed. Now he knows he's going to sleep well the few hours that's left before he has to face another boring day of school.

_- flashback to the Friday before this Sunday -_

"Well, how do you think your grades are going to turn out this year, Vortex?" A brown-haired teenage boy leapt down the stairs leading down from the school entrance, making sure the blonde girl he was referring to saw his cocky expression as he passed her.

"Frankly, Neutron," retorted the girl in an annoyed tone of voice, copying his way of calling her by her last name, and kept her pace after giving him an indifferent look. "That's none of your business!"

The boy stopped for a split second and rolled his eyes, before he went to catch up to her again. "I thought you were interested in knowing if your report card would be better than mine this time?" he said, still with the smug attitude, as he walked next to her.

She opened her mouth to answer, but got interrupted when a familiar voice from behind them called their names. "Jimmy! Cindy! Aren't you gonna wait for Sheen and Libby?"

Both of the teenagers turned to look at the chubby, bespectacled redhead who was standing at the top of the stairs. He was surrounded by other students who were on their way home while chattering loudly with the ones they walked next to.

"Right, the lovebirds," said Jimmy with a smirk, while looking at the ground.

"Don't call them that!" Cindy raised an eyebrow at him. "You're just jealous!" Jimmy gave her a disgusted look, which Cindy ignored and turned towards Carl in front of the entrance. "Will it take long?"

"No," answered Carl and started to walk down the stairs. "Libby was just going to get something from her locker. They'll be here in a sec." And true enough, right after Carl had spoken, Libby and Sheen came laughing out of the entrance door.

"Oh, hi guys!" Libby said as she noticed their three friends waiting for them and dragged Sheen with her towards them. "Anybody wanna go to the movies with us later?"

"I can't," Cindy said, as they all were heading out of the school grounds. "I have some homework to catch up on."

"On a Friday?" Libby looked at her skeptically.

"The exams will soon be up now that the summer vacation's approaching," Cindy said smiling and shrugged. "But thanks, though."

"What about you, Carl?"

"It would have been very nice, but I can't either," he said. "I'm going away to visit some relatives this weekend."

"Jimmy?"

"Sorry, guys," Jimmy replied with an apologetic smile.

"Aw, can't any of you?" Libby said a little disappointed. "But it's so long ago since we did something together… The five of us!"

"Yeah, why are you busy tonight, Jim?" Sheen asked. "You're not gonna spend another night in your lab, are you?"

"Sure he's going to," Cindy put in before Jimmy got the chance to answer. "He has to fix all the things that went wrong last night."

"Don't start, Cindy," Jimmy said with tint of irritation in his voice. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"No idea what I'm talking about?" Cindy exclaimed. "I think I've seen plenty of your little projects going wrong, Nerdtron!"

"Yeah sure, when I have you around to ruin them for me," Jimmy said angrily.

"Oh, right," Cindy said and widened her eyes in disbelief. "So it's suddenly _my_ fault that all of your inventions always fail?"

"You're a good help anyway," Jimmy mumbled in a sarcastic voice.

The group had now reached the area where Jimmy's, Cindy's and Carl's houses are, and Cindy was the first one who stopped before turning to Jimmy and putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, I actually have some good news," Cindy said and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm going away for three weeks when the vacation starts."

"What?" Jimmy suddenly dropped the angry glare and seemed mildly surprised instead. "You're away on your birthday?"

"Yes," Cindy said smugly. "My parents are taking me to Mauritius."

"Good for you, then," Jimmy scoffed, and the annoyed look had reappeared on his face.

"For you too," Cindy stated and crossed her arms over her chest. "Cause you'll get the chance to see that even if I'm gone, the number of inventions going wrong is not gonna decrease."

"Would you just stop?"

"You should be happy I can't mock you about your height, head size or hairdo anymore!"

"Wow, was that actually a compliment?" Jimmy said sarcastically while raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, in your dreams!" Cindy's high ponytail swayed as she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"No, you wouldn't do that in my dreams, because _you're not in them_!" Jimmy shouted the last words at her.

"And I am glad; because I'm sure they're full of _Betty Quinlan_!" Cindy shouted back and added a childish mocking tone to the name, while curling her hands into fists along her sides.

"You know what?" Jimmy stepped closer to the fuming blonde and looked her straight in the eye. "I'm so sick of you always being around to make fun of me and the things I like. I'm sick of you always pointing out my mistakes and then rub it in. And I'm so sick of. . ._you_!"

Cindy heaved a deep breath through her nose while observing the index finger Jimmy now pointed at her. "Well, I'm sorry for being alive!" she sneered in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, you should be!"

The three teens that had followed the fight like it was a tennis match, letting their gazes pass from the one to the other when they criticized each other, gasped. Libby placed a hand in front of her mouth and shook her head slowly, as if she couldn't believe that either one of them could go this far.

Cindy, on the other hand, did not give any hint to change her expression, and kept stubbornly her eye contact with the boy who had just said that he wished she didn't exist. Her lower lip trembled a little when she heaved another deep breath, and her green eyes, which had begun to burn with tears, continued to search for any traces of remorse in his blue ones. But there was nothing; he too had an unreadable look on his face and just carried on glaring down at her. All of a sudden her right hand was three inches from his left cheek, finger stretched out as if she was going to slap him hard in his face. That _was_ her intention, until he had lifted his arm to catch her by the wrist, preventing her from hitting him in the last minute.

"Get out of my face, Neutron!" she managed to snarl through clenched teeth, while her hand automatically curled up into a fist.

"With pleasure, Vortex!" he replied in the same kind of voice she had used, and let go of her hand in a swift and harsh gesture before turning around and walking away. She turned her head irritably to the side as he left, feeling that her eyes started to water and made her sight blurry.

Sheen, Carl and Libby exchanged worried looks, before silently deciding that Libby stayed with Cindy while the boys followed Jimmy.

The teen genius was already halfway through his garden, on his way to his lab, when his best friends caught up with him.

"Don't you think that was a bit harsh, Jim?" Carl asked, struggling to keep up with Jimmy's intense pace.

"Yeah, I mean," Sheen started on the other side of him. "We all know that Cindy can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but saying that you think she shouldn't have been born was maybe a little..." He stopped and looked up in the sky, trying to find the correct word. "Untrue?"

"What?" Jimmy yelled as he stopped outside his clubhouse. He turned slowly towards the Hispanic boy who was now approaching him. "What do you know about that, anyway? Nothing, I'll tell you!"

"O-kaaay," Sheen said in a knowing voice, looked upwards again, folded his arms over his chest and pointed with one of his index fingers in different directions when he continued talking. "So you're saying you're not interested in Cindy anymore. . .at all?"

"Gah, I never been!" Jimmy exclaimed angrily. "And if you don't know me better than that, you can just leave me alone."

"Actually, I'm going to the movies with my Ultra Girl," Sheen said and pointed his thumb towards the front yard. "So I'll just talk to you when you've calmed down, okay?" He dashed in the direction of the street without waiting for a reply, while shouting a _bye_ to his friends.

Jimmy took a strand of hair from his head and held it in front of the DNA-scanner.

"Err," Carl said, feeling a little uncertain of whether or not he should go away. "You sure you don't wanna talk about what's bothering you?"

"No, Carl," Jimmy answered, not quite so annoyed anymore. "There's nothing bothering me. I just have something I need to finish in my lab."

"Oh, okay," Carl smiled, feeling relieved because he didn't get yelled at like Sheen. "I'll talk to later then?"

"Sure," Jimmy responded and returned Carl's wave half-heartedly, as he saw him disappear into his own garden, before walking into the clubhouse.

Meanwhile, in front of Cindy's pink house, she and Libby was discussing the fight and how it ended.

"Are you okay, girlfriend?" Libby went to put a hand on her best friends shoulder.

"No," Cindy mumbled and tried to blink back the tears that burned in her eyes, while avoiding eye contact with the African American teenage girl. "To be totally honest with you, Libs, I'm not!"

"Listen, Cin," Libby tried to comfort the sad blonde. "I'm sure he didn't mean what he said-"

"Why?" Cindy suddenly exclaimed and finally looked Libby in the eyes. "Why shouldn't he mean it? He has good reasons to be sick of me, right?"

"Girl, don't say that!"

"But don't you see?" Cindy threw her arms up in frustration. "It's all my fault!"

"But you two've been practicing modest flirting for like the last 4 years-"

"Except the last six months, yeah," Cindy said despondently and looked down at the ground. "I guess he got sick of waiting. And I have myself to thank, because I'm such a wuss."

Libby bit her lower lip and didn't really know what to say, but it didn't seem to bother Cindy.

"Are you coming, Libs?"

Libby turned around at the sound of her boyfriend's voice and saw him waiting for her at the other side of the street. She turned back to Cindy, almost as if asking her permission to go.

"Just go, girl!" Cindy gave her dim smile. "I think at least one of us deserves a successful love life! And I've got that homework, remember?" she added when she saw that Libby was about to protest.

"So, you're sure you're gonna be alright?"

"Yes!" Cindy rolled her eyes and couldn't help but to smile warmly at her friend's concern. "You're talking about Cindy Vortex here! Now go!"

"Okay, okay," Libby was also smiling now and started to walk over to Sheen. "But promise me that you'll call my cell if you need to talk, 'aight?"

"Yah, just go! Have fun at the movies, okay?" Cindy chuckled and shook her head. "And I'll see you tomorrow!"

She gave her friends a wave as they both called good bye before heading in the direction of the entrance of her house. The minute she got inside, her smile disappeared, and she leant her back towards the door she had just closed, and let herself slowly sink to the floor.

_There's obviously been a change_, Cindy thought as she sat there with her eyes closed. _We haven't had any. . .moments at all the last six months! We've just argued… _Really_ argued! Like we did when we were nine… And five… And it's all because of one stupid ting that happened years ago…_

Is there any good reason for these two teenagers' behavior and the way they treat each other? Fear, maybe. Fear of what? Fear of how people around them would react? Fear of being rejected? Fear of what their parents would do?

This goes way back in time, long before James Isaac Neutron and Cynthia Aurora Vortex saw the light of day.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I know that the first chapter is a little boring, but it gets better (hopefully)… ;) The main plot will start in the next chapter since this was just sorta an introduction…

Please review if you liked it! And if you didn't like it, why not try to write me some constructive criticism, huh? But sure, if you _have_ to flame, then go ahead… ;p All is welcome!


	2. Trust Me

**Author's Note:** I finally got the second chapter out! It wasn't supposed to be this late, but my summer vacation ended a few days after I put out the first one, so I've been busy with school since then (and I'm already sick of it)… I'll try to get the next chapter out a little faster this time!

* * *

**THE FORCES OF NATURE  
**_by Tardecita_

**CHAPTER 2: Trust Me**

_- flashback -_

_"Was that all, miss?"_

_"Yes, thank you," the brown-haired woman answered, smiling at the man behind the counter which turned and started to prepare the food she had ordered._

_Meanwhile another woman entered the café. She shoved some bangs of her long black hair away from her face as she looked around the room. Behind her came her four year old daughter, but the only thing that gave away that they were related was the magnificent emerald eye color which both of them had. Unlike her mother, this young girl's pigtails had a golden shade of blonde._

_Her mother had now spotted the woman by the counter and strolled towards her, clearing her throat to let her know she was there. The woman turned because of the sound and widened her eyes a little._

_"Judith," the black haired woman said in stiff tone when she had reached her._

_"Marissa," Judith replied in the same kind of tone. "Long time, no see."_

_"Yeah, I guess that is for the best," Marissa said while glancing down at her daughter and then at the little boy standing next to Judith. "For all of us." She looked up at the other woman again. "How do you like being married?"_

_"Me and Hugh are doing just fine, thank you," Judith answered. "What about you and Andrew?"_

_"Never been better," Marissa said as a smug smile crept across her lips. Her daughter stood quietly beside her, looking up at the two women. She was young, but she still managed to sense the obvious hostility in the overfriendly tone both of them used._

_Judith's son could sense it too. He was standing beside his mother and had, just like the girl, been staring upwards as the two women had established a conversation. His hair was just a little darker than his mother's, but instead of inheriting her sea green eyes, he had gotten ocean blue ones instead. He lost interest in the dialogue over his head and decided to lower his gaze towards the blonde, which was now looking at him a little curiously._

_He was about the girl's age, and like a lot of other four-year-olds he saw her as a potential playmate. She looked at him in the same way, but the deal breaker was that they both understood, from their mothers' attitudes, that the other wasn't supposed to be a friend._

_"Come sweetie," Marissa suddenly said and grabbed her daughter's hand. "Let's go somewhere else."_

_Judith turned defiantly around to pay the man behind the counter, while Marissa was on her way out of the café, dragging her daughter with her. The girl tried her best to keep up with her mother as she looked over her shoulder back at the boy who was still gazing back at her. Right before she left the room she suddenly stuck out her tongue at him, and considering the fact that he copied the gesture pretty fast, it hadn't come as a big surprise._

_- end of flashback -_

"Rrraff!"

Jimmy was deeply concentrated while trying to fix something on one of his most resent inventions and jumped when his mechanical dog suddenly gave a loud bark. He turned around to look at the canine which was approaching his owner quickly.

"What is it, boy?" Jimmy inquired as he removed the protection gloves from his hands and put them on a nearby table. "Is there something wrong?"

Goddard gave another loud bark as he turned and headed over to a different area of the underground lab, signalizing that he wanted Jimmy to follow.

The summer vacation had finally started, which meant that Jimmy could go to bed earlier because he got to work in his lab at daytime. This was both good and bad; because he often had a good night sleep and wasn't so tired all the time, but he could get lonely sometimes. Sheen was in Mexico visiting family, while Carl was on some llama summer camp. Libby was in Egypt and Cindy had gone to Mauritius.

Not that he would hang with Cindy alone, anyway.

Goddard led Jimmy to one of his computer screens where a red _ALERT_ blinked in one of the corners.

"Hm, what's this?" Jimmy mumbled, frowning, as he bent down to take closer look and pressed some buttons. "According to my Earth Activity Sensor a huge earthquake is approaching, and will happen in the next few days." He pressed some more buttons and a map popped up on the screen. "In Southern Asia," he soon added a little relieved, while patting Goddard's head. "Nothing to worry about! It'll be under the sea and will only cause a wave that won't even be big enough to reach land in any direction. And if it does, it won't do much damage."

Jimmy turned and was about to go back to what he was doing before he got interrupted, when Goddard gave the third loud bark in a short amount of time. Jimmy turned around again, a little reluctantly, and said, "Now what? I really wanna get that machine done tod-"

He stopped talking when Goddard's back opened and a mechanical hand came up which reached out and pointed at something on the map at the screen. Jimmy drew closer to it for the second time and spotted a group of islands he hadn't thought of before. He swallowed hard as he saw that the potential tsunami the earthquake would make would most likely drown all of the small islands or at least cause major damage.

One of those islands was named Mauritius.

Jimmy sat down in a chair and ran a hand through his hair. "I should do something, right?" he asked, a little concerned, and Goddard tilted his head slightly. "But then again, why should I?" He suddenly stood up and changed the tone of his voice. "She'll find out as soon as the experts find out, and it'll be all over the news, in both papers and on television. If it's correct, of course! Because there's always a chance that my sensor's wrong. And I don't wanna go all the way to Southern Asia to tell Cindy about something she's not even going to believe. And if she _does_ believe it and it _doesn't_ happen, I bet she's going to get revenge for ruining her vacation, or something. No way I'm going down there! I don't owe her anything!"

_- flashback -_

_Cindy was sitting in a garden chair outside her house playing with a yo-yo. It was a beautiful summer's day, perfect for playing in the park with friends, but this young girl was bored. Most of her friends were gone on vacation, her parents was busy at work or in the house, and considering that this day was her sixth birthday she was extra disappointed that she had no one to hang out with. Her mother had promised her that she would make her favorite food for dinner that evening, and she had already had a big celebration with loads of children from the neighborhood earlier that summer, but she still felt a little lonely as she stood up and placed the yo-yo down at the chair._

_She went through the house, called to her mother that she was heading out, and walked outside on the other side. She closed the front door behind her after she had assured her mother that she wouldn't go too far, and started walking down the street. She didn't know what her destination was. After all, all of her closest friends were out of town._

_There still was _one_ person that she knew was home, but he wasn't really her friend. And _if_ she happened to pass by his house, it was only to make fun of him and whatever he was doing… Nothing else…_

_After a while she found herself outside the Neutron's residence, without really knowing when she had decided to go there. When she stood there, staring at the light blue façade, she heard some faint thuds from the backyard. Her curiosity made her turn the house corner warily, as she followed the sounds._

_In the backyard the young boy genius was working on one of his very first inventions; a machine that was supposed to make it possible for people to travel through time. He hadn't had much luck with it until now, but today he had had a breakthrough after reading something in a book and he was sure that if he only got to fix that one simple thing, it would work. He was so concentrated on doing that task, that he didn't notice the girl who was examining him and the round black machine from one of the house corners._

_"Well well," Cindy said as she was walking towards Jimmy who jumped of the unexpected sound. "What have we here? Another one of your so-called inventions? You know, a six-year-old isn't supposed to be able to make things like this. There must be something seriously wrong with you."_

_"Vortex?" Jimmy turned skeptically to face her. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be home getting spoiled because of your birthday?"_

_"Right, Nerdtron," Cindy said and rolled her eyes. "You know I've already had a party."_

_"Okay…" Jimmy turned indifferently back to the hatch on the side of the machine. "You're here because you have no one to play with, right?"_

_"Of course," she said in an obvious tone. "Do you really think I would come _here_ if some of my friends were home, Spewtron?" Jimmy turned to her with an incredulous glare when he heard the new replacement for the usual 'Nerdtron', but she just widened her eyes a little and smirked. "Spewtron? Hey, that was actually kinda good," she commented, more to herself than to him._

_Jimmy sighed, shook his head and turned once again towards the machine._

_"So what is it?" Cindy moved closer to him to see what he was doing. "What does it do?"_

_"It's a time machine," Jimmy mumbled without taking his eyes away from what he was doing._

_"A time machine?" Cindy exclaimed and burst out in high-pitched laughter. "Really? Don't tell me it actually works?" She started to walk around the machine, looking at all of the buttons, still laughing. "Hey Neutron, if I push any of these, will we end up in the Middle Ages then?" She pushed several of them, but nothing happened. "Hah, I knew it! It doesn't react at all!"_

_"That's because-" Jimmy started before he got cut off by Cindy who had noticed a switch higher up on the machine._

_"Hey, what's this?" she asked as she held her hand up and pointed at it with her index finger._

_"No!" Jimmy stood up quickly and dashed forward. "Don't touch that!" But it was of course too late, and Cindy had already managed to flip it. She still had a smirk across her face, but when the machine started to make a high rotating sound while vibrating slightly, it disappeared swiftly._

_Jimmy swallowed hard. The machine wasn't done yet, so he had no idea of what it would do. He didn't have to wait long to get the answer though, because after a loud crash and a flash of bright light, both of them felt like they were swirling through the air before they found themselves on the ground in an area that looked nothing like Jimmy's backyard._

_- end of flashback -_

Cindy opened her eyes slowly, wondering why her thoughts had drifted off to something that happened almost a decade ago. She had a good idea though, because it had definitely something to do with that song she had heard earlier, when she and her parents passed that bar on their way back to the hotel after eating dinner at some restaurant. The chorus had been sat on repeat in her head ever since.

_I just hate you for it  
__Hate you for makin' me fall in love  
__And there's nothing I can do about it  
__So blue about it  
Don't wanna be in love_

Cindy didn't have that many clear memories from her first years of life, but that particular birthday was like burned into her head. It was when she first discovered that her hate towards Jimmy wasn't because she disliked him or anything like that, but because she couldn't be with him. That day she realized that deep inside her she had something special for him and because she was so young, she had used to think of it as something she felt for a very good friend or maybe a brother.

But as she grew up she learned that it was much more than that. She now knew that what she felt for the teen genius was love, like fate had in some bizarre way decided that they were meant to be right from the day they were born.

Cindy shook her head a little when she noticed where her thoughts were heading and scolded herself mentally for being such a hopelessly romantic. The truth was that she wanted to hide these feelings somewhere so deep inside that no one could ever find them again. But that wasn't supposed to be so easy…

Cindy looked around the area she was sitting in, while softly humming the melody of the song that was playing in her head. It was the hotel's poolside bar, where you every evening could enjoy live music or karaoke, so no one could hear her even if she started to sing the words out quietly. Not even her parents, who were sitting at the same table as her.

Cindy sighed as she understood that going on vacation with her parents wasn't that much fun anymore. Sure, she had hung around the poolside bar every night since they arrived four days ago, but tonight she noticed that it was a bit boring not having Oliver around to joke and laugh at people who couldn't sing with.

She wondered what she would've done if she hadn't accidentally bumped into Oliver Masterson, a 17 year old boy from New Jersey, while she was standing in line to get some ice cream on the first day. Having a friend at the hotel turned out to be positive in many ways. She had someone to hang out with and to talk to, an excuse to leave her parents from time to time, and although he didn't know about it, he often helped her getting her thoughts of Jimmy for a while.

But this day Oliver and his parents had gone to the other side of the island, and they were probably not home yet. Cindy sighed once more as she felt that she was starting to get a headache. This was supposed to be a vacation but as soon she was alone or bored her thoughts automatically drifted off to that idiot. She couldn't believe that even if he was halfway around the world, he _still_ managed to get on her nerves.

"Listen," she suddenly said loudly so that her parents would hear her through the music. "I'm not feeling well. I'll head for the apartment and go to bed." She slid forward in the chair, so that she was sitting on the edge and pointed her thumb casually in the direction of where they were living.

"How are you not feeling well?" her mother asked and gave her a quick concerned look. "Do you want me to follow you?"

"It's just a headache," she answered hastily. "And I'll be fine on my own. Just stay here and enjoy yourselves!"

"Are you sure you don't want me to follow you?" Her mother inquired a last time, as Cindy stood up.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"The way isn't _that_ long, Marissa," Cindy's father cut in. "And besides, it's inside the hotel's area."

After getting the room keys from her parents, Cindy finally managed to get herself out on the path that lead to the apartment. It was dark, but the moonlight lit up enough to see where she was stepping.

"Cindy?"

Cindy stopped dead in her tracks and widened her eyes. Someone had said her name and that voice seemed very familiar. She turned swiftly to take a good look around her, but the darkness made it difficult. She shook her head and decided that there was no one there, and that she had just imagined it.

"Cindy…"

She twirled around and gazed into the darkness. She was sure that she had heard someone this time. Someone who sounded awfully much like Jimmy. Either that or she had gone completely mad with the whole Neutron deal and was starting to hear his voice, even when he was miles away. Because he _was_ miles away, right?

Cindy could now vaguely see a figure approaching… A figure she knew too well.

"Neutron?" she exclaimed incredulously. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Calm down," he hissed while looking warily around at the apartment buildings around them, thinking that there were probably people sleeping inside them. "I'm saving your life," he finally told her, perhaps a little too boldly.

"Yeah right," Cindy scoffed sarcastically and folded her arms over her chest. "Coming here to mess up my holiday is sure gonna save my life."

"I'm not gonna _mess up_ your holiday, Vortex," Jimmy said and returned the glare she gave him. "I'm just gonna. . .give you a warning."

"The only warning I need is the one about you coming here," Cindy retorted. "I'm supposed to be having a vacation, Neutron! Vacation from things like school and stress and you."

"Do you really think I came all the way down here just to bother you?" Jimmy asked her sincerely, and continued when Cindy just looked at him like she didn't find anything smart to say. "The least you could do is hear me out."

"Fine, go on," she gave in. "What is it that you want to warn me about?"

"Well," Jimmy started, narrowing his eyes slightly at Cindy as if expecting her to interrupt him any minute. "My Earth Activity Sensor has shown lately that a great underwater earthquake in the Indian Ocean is approaching. Which means that this island is in danger of getting drowned."

Cindy stared at him for a short while, without saying anything. She was considering the thing he had said very carefully. She didn't really want to believe it because that meant that she would have to leave the island, and she would also have to admit to Jimmy that she thought he was right. On the other hand, _if_ it did turn out to be true, it would be a great benefit to be prepared and get away before it happened.

"So you're saying that a tsunami is gonna hit Mauritius in one of the next few days?" Cindy finally asked, giving Jimmy a skeptical look.

"Yes," he answered. "Along with the rest of the islands in this area."

"And you expect me to believe that?" Cindy raised an eyebrow at him, still with her arms crossed over her chest.

"No, that's up to you," Jimmy said indifferently. "But I hope that me coming all the way down here to tell you means _something_."

"Why did you?" Cindy suddenly inquired, not quite so unwillingly as before.

"Huh?" He looked at her.

"Come all the way down here to tell me," Cindy explained quickly, and Jimmy got an unreadable expression on his face.

"I think," he suddenly said in an amazingly serious tone of voice, as he looked her straight in the eye. "We both know why I'm here."

Cindy gazed astonished back at him, but then she nodded her head slightly and looked away. Jimmy also removed his gaze and it got awkwardly silent. The only things that could be heard were the breeze in the palms, the faint music from the poolside bar, and the distant soft sounds from the ocean against the beach. Cindy's thoughts drifted off to that faithful day that she had been thinking of earlier, and she knew that Jimmy's had too. All of a sudden Jimmy took a step closer to Cindy and pulled something out of one of his pockets.

"Here," he simply said and held an advanced wristwatch in front of her. "I made you this so you wouldn't have to decide whether you want to believe me or not right away."

"What is it?" Cindy asked as she stared down at it.

"It's a watch that you can contact me with," Jimmy answered quickly. "If there is something, _anything_, just push this button and I'll be there as soon as possible. I've designed this way," he explained as he kept pointing at the little button and the frame around it. "So it's not so easy to push it by accident."

"How would you know where I am?" Cindy went on staring suspiciously down at it.

"This watch has a sender," Jimmy continued. "I can see exactly where it is on a map on my watch."

"Does this mean you're going to stay at Mauritius?" Cindy asked skeptically.

"Well, yeah," Jimmy said hesitantly. "But only till the danger is over."

"Right, and you'll know my whereabouts at all hours just by looking at your watch?" The smug but annoyed expression had appeared on Cindy's face.

"No," Jimmy said irritated. "I'll only know your whereabouts when you push this button."

Cindy got quiet for a while and observed him through narrow eyes. Jimmy held the watch closer to her but she raised her hands and shoved his hand away.

"No way!" She shook her head and turned to continue along the path. Jimmy stepped forward immediately, grabbed her upper arm and spun her around so that she was facing him again. Her cocky expression vanished as she saw Jimmy's listen-to-me-or-else-look. She leant backwards somewhat and swallowed as he stepped even closer to her. When he saw her staring a little puzzled up at him with wide emerald eyes, his glare softened.

"Just take it," Jimmy mumbled as he shook the watch slightly in front of her. "Trust me!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know that there's not much happening in this chapter either, but it's all a part of the introduction… And you got to know a little more about what has happened in the past… Another thing is that I fear that I have given them a little too grown up personality when they were six, but Jimmy's supposed to be a boy genius and Cindy is smart as well, so maybe that's not a big problem after all?

Please leave me a line if you're interested in more! ;) It's always great to hear your opinions!

**NeT:** Thanx and thank you for reviewing... :)

**acosta pérez josé ramiro:** Well, I had been working on the chapter for a while and I guess that I was afraid that it might be a little unexciting since I had read through it so many times… But if you didn't found it boring, that's great... :) Thanx for reviewing!

**CindyVortex9: **That's good to hear, and thank you for reviewing... :)

**Madame Pink:** Really? You're too kind… Thank you very much! ;)

**ReddistheRose: **Hehe… Yeah, he is, isn't he? Then everything is as usual, right…? ;) Thanx for reviewing and I hope you didn't found this chapter too uninteresting…?


	3. Cool Vibes

**Author's Note:** I know I said I would try to get this chapter out faster than the second one and I also know that this is far from that. And you know what? I BLAME SCHOOL! (cough) Sorry, I'm just getting a _little_ annoyed when I think about how busy that thing has gotten me lately…

Nevertheless, I _finally_ managed to get the third chapter out, so. . .here it is!

* * *

**THE FORCES OF NATURE  
**_by Tardecita_

**CHAPTER 3: Cool Vibes**

_Don't want ya to make me feel afraid  
__Don't need ya to take away the hate  
__But I know that you will break the seal of mystery  
__Leave it to my fantasy, what will be_

"Trust you?" Cindy repeated quietly and kept looking up at Jimmy.

"Have I ever given you reason not to?" he questioned and raised an eyebrow at her. Cindy looked quickly down at her feet, thinking that maybe not.

_- flashback -_

_The two six-year-olds stood up from the ground, dusted themselves off and took a good look around. Mighty jungle surrounded them and thin rays of sunlight penetrated the thick roof of leaves high over their heads._

_"Ehm," Cindy said a little unsure. "Where are we?"_

_"I don't think the question is _where_ we are," Jimmy stated and turned to her. "But _when_ we are."_

_"What? Do you mean we're still in Vanilla Falls?" Cindy asked incredulously. "The stupid time machine actually worked?"_

_"Well, it can't be that stupid if it really worked," Jimmy retorted annoyed. "But the person who flipped the switch when I told her not to, has to be a little dim-witted."_

_"Hey!" Cindy exclaimed. "If you're such a genius then figure out how to get us back home! The 'incredibly smart' time machine is right there!" She gesticulated towards the big black machine that had followed them back in time._

_"I can't just do that without knowing how many years we've traveled," Jimmy said and threw out his hands as he walked closer to her. "Unless a certain someone remember which buttons she pushed?" He sent her a look that could kill._

_"Of course I don't remember," she said and copied his body language. "I wasn't prepared to be sent God knows how many years back in time because of your little summer project!"_

_"Well, I said it was a _time_ machine, didn't I?"_

_Cindy was about to reply when a roar thundered through the jungle, leaving the children frozen. Both of them looked around nervously with wide eyes._

_"What was that?" Cindy whispered as both of them turned to look in the direction of the sound._

_"I'm not sure," Jimmy said, still observing the surroundings warily. "But I do have a theory."_

_"Spill."_

_"I think we're-" Jimmy started, but got interrupted by another loud roar which caused Cindy to hurry behind him and put her hands at his shoulders, slightly shrinking herself. Jimmy instinctively held his arms out in a protective way. _

_"Wherever we are," Cindy said and swallowed hard. "Something tells me we're not welcome."_

_They could now hear faint sounds of trees getting broken and shattered. Something big was running towards them and every time its feet hit the ground the earth shook violently._

_"Run!" Jimmy suddenly screamed and turned swiftly. Cindy didn't need to be asked twice and twirled around as well. Both of them started running through the compact jungle, getting cuts and slashes from sharp tree branches, as the thing that followed them came closer._

_"What are we going to do?" Cindy breathed and pushed a big branch out of the way._

_"Right now?" Jimmy panted as he ran right beside her. "Keep running!" _

Cindy went on as fast as she could while casting warily glimpses over her shoulder. She couldn't see anything but it was obvious that whatever they got chased by was going to catch up to them any minute if they didn't do something soon.

_"It's getting closer," Cindy suddenly gasped. "Too close, Jimmy!"_

_But Jimmy wasn't paying attention to what she said. He had seen something that looked like a cave entrance in a huge rock they were approaching. "In here," he yelled as he seized her by her right wrist and dragged her along while heading for the grotto._

_- end of flashback -_

"Okay, I'll take it," Cindy said quickly and grabbed the watch. "But you have to promise to stay away from me as long as I don't push the button!"

¤¤¤¤

"I thought we agreed on you staying away from me as long as I didn't touch the stupid watch!" Cindy said loudly in an incredulous tone, as she made her way through the small tables and chairs in front of the beach bar, not caring too much about the looks people who sat there were giving her. Jimmy, who had been leaning on the counter, turned around at the sound of her voice and frowned slightly at the irritated blonde who was approaching him.

"Yeah, and that's what I'm doing," Jimmy stated as Cindy stopped in front of him, placing her hands on her hips. "Right now, _you're_ the one who's communicating with _me_!"

"Communication is kinda necessary if I want to ask you what you're doing at the _nearest beach to my hotel_!" Cindy said and removed the sunglasses she was wearing to the top of her head so that the annoyed look she was sending Jimmy became more visible.

"Well," Jimmy said calmly. "I actually happen to live closer to this beach than you are doing right now."

"What?" Cindy exclaimed. "There are no other hotels in this area."

"Oh," Jimmy said in a cocky tone as Cindy observed him suspiciously. "But I live in the basement of the Indian restaurant right over there."

Jimmy turned to see if it was possible to see the building from where they were standing, but in stead of looking in the direction he pointed in, Cindy happened to cast a quick glance downwards to check out his bare torso. She smiled and bit her lip slightly before her gaze snapped upwards again as he turned back to her after realizing that they couldn't see the restaurant.

"So you live in the basement of an Indian restaurant?" Cindy gave him a skeptical look.

"Yes," Jimmy answered. "I went in there last night to ask if they knew about any cheap hotels nearby, when I started to talk with this Indian girl, about our age, named Nea, who worked there. Since they were about to close, she was the only one there who handled the English language. She got really impressed by my hovercar and then we winded up talking about science and stuff until four in the morning or something. Then she said I could just spend the rest of the night on her couch."

"Oh, so you've gotten yourself a little girlfriend down here?" Cindy crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head slightly, narrowing her eyes.

A smug smile suddenly appeared on Jimmy's face and Cindy immediately understood that there couldn't possibly be more that friendship going on between him and this girl. "Would that bother you?" he said in a tone that matched his grin and confirmed that Cindy's assumption was right. She actually felt rather relieved as the jealous feeling disappeared from her stomach.

"Hmm, let me see," Cindy said, pretending to be in deep consideration, while studying the ceiling over the bar which was made of palm branches. "Actually yes; it would bother me," Cindy continued in the same fake dumb-tone and Jimmy's self-satisfied smile seemed to grow. "_Because that would mean you'd probably stay here even after the so-called danger is over_!"

In a second, Cindy's original tone had returned and Jimmy's grin had vanished.

"You still don't believe me?" Jimmy exclaimed and it sounded more like an accusation than a question.

"It's been like twelve hours!" Cindy threw her hands up in frustration.

"Yeah, that means twelve hours less until the earthquake takes place!"

"Then why haven't they said anything about it in the news yet?"

"Maybe they don't know!"

"Maybe because it's not gonna happen!"

"Or maybe they're not taking it that seriously!"

"Maybe there's no reason to take it that seriously!"

Suddenly, a voice from nearby called Cindy's name and caused the teenagers to stop fighting as both of them turned to see who it belonged to.

"Oliver!" Cindy exclaimed happily when she saw the tall, blond boy approaching them. She took a few steps towards him and threw herself around his neck, giving him a big hug. Jimmy wrinkled his nose as he felt a glint of jealousy spreading from his stomach. By watching this boy's arms around Cindy's waist and how his hands moved over the thin fabric of the tight beach dress she was wearing, he got a sudden urge to walk forwards, pull this Oliver-boy away from her and hit him or something.

_Stupid hormones_, Jimmy thought as he turned away from the two teens in front of him, and took a sip of soda from his glass on the bar counter.

"So how was your trip yesterday?" Cindy asked Oliver as they pulled away from each other.

"Great," he answered and flashed a white smile at her. "We came back to the hotel really late last night, and I assumed you were fast asleep by then so I didn't dare to stop by your apartment. You know, in case I'd wake up both you and your parents."

"That's okay," Cindy said with a teasing smile, tugging slightly at his tee-shirt in a flirtatious way which made Jimmy, who had turned back to them a little reluctantly, roll his eyes. "But I missed you at the poolside bar last night," Cindy continued in the playful tone.

Oliver was just about to respond, when Jimmy cleared his throat loudly. Oliver looked a little surprised over Cindy's head at the brown-haired boy at the counter; as if he had just noticed that he was standing there. At the same time, a satisfied smile crept across Cindy's lips before she turned to face Jimmy. She had accomplished what she had been going for; her flirting with Oliver had made Jimmy at least somewhat annoyed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said in tone that vaguely gave away that she wasn't as apologetic she said she was, and Jimmy slightly narrowed his eyes at her to show that he didn't believe her. Cindy ignored it and introduced the two teenage boys to each other.

"This is Oliver Masterson," Cindy said in an important voice, gesturing to the boy behind her, before she turned and said, "Oliver, James Neutron." She turned back to Jimmy again and gestured towards him as he said his name.

"Nice to meet you," Oliver said, a little too enthusiastically if you asked Jimmy, walked pass Cindy and extended his arm.

"Err," Jimmy started, but soon accepted his hand and shook it. His suspicion towards this boy was probably just because Cindy seemed to like him. "Likewise," he finally said. "And you can just call me Jimmy, by the way."

"Or Nerdtron," Cindy suddenly blurted out, and earned herself an angry glare from Jimmy, which she responded to by looking innocently up in the air while folding her hands behind her back.

"Do you guys know each other well?" Oliver said astonished, and looked at Cindy for a second before turning back to Jimmy.

"Yep," Cindy answered swiftly. "Ever since kindergarten actually. Isn't it a small world, eh? You see, Jimmy is currently visiting his little Indian girlfriend who works here on the island," she rattled off in a sarcastic tone and Jimmy suddenly understood why she had been flirting so obviously when she knew perfectly well that he was standing right next to them; it was mainly just to bother him.

"She's not my girlfriend," he mumbled and continued glaring at Cindy who was standing behind Oliver, frowning back at him.

"Well, what a coincidence," Oliver said, purposely ignoring Jimmy's comment and Cindy's sarcastic tone. "Maybe we could all go out on a double date or something then?"

Cindy's eyes got wide; she wasn't prepared for something like this at all. Oliver turned quickly to check her response, but all she managed to say was, "Well, I-", before Oliver had turned back to Jimmy again.

"What do you say, Jimmy?" he asked politely. "We could go out for dinner. Find a good restaurant and have a good time. The four of us."

Jimmy glanced at Cindy who now was silently waving vigorously with her arms and shaking her head to show him that she thought this was an extremely bad idea. A mischievous smirk appeared on Jimmy's face as he understood that he had a chance to get back at her for the exaggerated flirting earlier.

"Hmm," he started, still gazing in Cindy's direction. Oliver turned around to find out what he was looking at and Cindy immediately dropped the gesticulating to give him a very innocent smile. But as soon as he had returned the smile and turned around again, she gave Jimmy an ice cold look and slowly mouthed the words _Don't you dare!_

As if that was Jimmy's cue, he looked at Oliver and said, "That sounds great. Why don't Nea and I meet you outside your hotel's reception at 6pm tonight?"

"Yeah, we'll see you there then," he replied and turned to leave. "You coming, Cindy?"

"Of course," she replied with a forced smile on her face, but as soon as Oliver had passed by her, the icy look reappeared. She turned back to Jimmy again, her hands curled into fists along her sides, while slowly narrowing her eyes. Jimmy on the other hand, just smiled innocently and shrugged, as if she should have seen it coming. Cindy shook her head and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"You're gonna pay for this, Neutron," she hissed, before twirling around to follow Oliver.

_- flashback -_

_When the two children got inside the grotto, both of them stopped and tried to catch their breaths as they looked towards the exit._

_"What was that?" Cindy panted slightly as she was leaning forward with her hands on her knees._

_"I think it was a dinosaur," Jimmy answered and bent forward as well, just when it seemed like the big creature ran past the cave. "Something big, like maybe a Tyrannous Rex."_

_"What?" Cindy exclaimed as Jimmy headed back to the entrance._

_"Are you coming?" he asked her as if he was ready to leave the cave already._

_"You've got to be kidding me?" Cindy yelled. "I'm not going out there again."_

_"But we have to get back to the time machine," Jimmy stated._

_"But you said you couldn't get us back unless you knew how many years we traveled!"_

_"I don't know," Jimmy said annoyed and turned to her as she was approaching him. "Maybe I could try to wing it or something. We could have opened a time portal for all I know!"_

_"A time portal?" Cindy said disbelievingly, as she understood that Jimmy was trying to say that if there was a portal, it could close itself up any minute. "Then what are we waiting for?" she added with a nervous laugh._

_She strolled bravely out of the cave with Jimmy right behind her, and the two of them headed in the direction they had come from._

_"Do you remember what the first numbers you pushed were?" Jimmy suddenly asked Cindy as they were making their way through the compact jungle._

_"Uhm," Cindy said as she tried hard to remember. She got quiet for a while, but then she answered, "I actually think I started to push one and two."_

_"About 120 million years," Jimmy mumbled as they finally reached the time machine._

_"Huh?" Cindy questioned and followed him to the big invention._

_"It's about 70 to 190 million years since the dinosaurs lived," Jimmy explained as he studied the machine closely. "So since you pushed one and two as the first numbers, we have to have traveled about 120 million years, since it can't be only 12 million years."_

_"Yeah yeah," Cindy said impatiently. "Do you think you can get us back to _our_ era now?"_

_Jimmy nodded uncertain as he pushed some buttons, before opening a hatch and starting to reorganize some cords. "I don't know if this'll work but let's try."_

_He then pushed some more buttons and all of a sudden they were experiencing the same loud crash and flash of bright light as earlier, before they were swirling in the air again._

_When they hit the ground for the second time that day they were both quite eager to check out the surroundings. And as they understood that they were back in Jimmy's backyard and saw Mr. and Mrs. Neutron in one of the windows, they both sighed relieved._

_It seemed like Jimmy's parents were on their way out to them and when the six-year-olds noticed the twilight around them, they understood why Judy and Hugh had looked so worried._

_"Do you think we've been gone for a very long time?" Cindy asked nervously and looked at Jimmy. "I told my mom I wouldn't go too far. She's going to freak."_

_"I'm sure my parents can talk to your parents about it," Jimmy said. "I haven't done anything like this before, but they're starting to get used to me experimenting."_

_"Uhm, sorry for messing with your invention, Jimmy," Cindy suddenly murmured. "And thanks. . .for kinda saving my life."_

_Jimmy couldn't help but smile and simply said, "Let's get you home." _

_- end of flashback -_

"Oh c'mon, Nea," Jimmy begged while strolling after the 16-year-old Indian girl. "It'll be fun!"

"I'm sure it would, Jimmy," Nea said as she set a glass of soda on a table in front of a customer, before placing the tray she was carrying, under her arm and then heading towards the counter with Jimmy right behind her. "But I have a job, remember?"

"Why can't you take one night off?" Jimmy asked serenely as they were both leaning on the counter. "I'll only be here for a few days."

"I know," Nea sighed. "But I can't just leave the restaurant in the period we usually have most costumers during the day."

Jimmy was just about to protest when Mrs. Gandasi, the owner of the restaurant, stopped on the other side of the counter and began talking to Nea in Hindu. Jimmy remained silent and tried to guess what they were talking about. He was hoping he hadn't got Nea in trouble for talking to him when she was working, but when Mrs. Gandasi started to walk away he thought she sounded rather annoyed.

"What did she say?" he asked a little confused as he turned to Nea.

"Oh," she responded, as a big smile spread across her face. "Just that it was ridiculous if I didn't think I could get one night off in the middle of the week when I'm doing such a great job here. Looks like we're going out tonight after all!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** It happened a little more in this chapter, right? Even though the second chapter has more words than this one, I somehow feel like this is a little longer. Hmm, strange… Well anyway, about that dinosaur that was chasing them; that part was from my dream. And I think that was a little inspired by "LOST" (the first season)! Hehe… ;p Anybody who recognized it? Oh, and regarding this double date, I have some good ideas! I just need to write them down. I think I'll start right away, actually…

So what do you think so far? Please leave a review and you'll make me very, very happy... :)

**acosta pérez josé ramiro:** Yeah, I'm definitely gonna continue with the flashbacks, because it's the best way to tell what happened in the past. And the dream that gave me this idea is mostly what happens in these flashbacks. Thanx for reviewing again... :)

**kingdom219: **Thanx, I'm glad you think so! ;) And sorry for the delay when it comes to this chapter…

**cutterforthecause: **Thank you and thanx for reviewing... :)

**Madame Pink:** Thank you! (bows) :D


	4. Dinner and Dancing

**Author's Note:** I know it's been like ages since I've updated and I'm so sorry! I've been having some computer problems lately, which were making the progress of this chapter very slow... But it's here now! It's the longest chapter so far! And guess what? No flashbacks! Hope you'll enjoy it!

* * *

**THE FORCES OF NATURE  
**_by Tardecita_

**CHAPTER 4: Dinner and Dancing**

_We might be lovers when the rhythm's right  
__I hope this feeling never ends tonight_

A crimson red sun had slowly begun to sink into the azure sea when Jimmy and Nea arrived at Cindy and Oliver's hotel sometime after 6pm later that evening.

After the necessary greetings and introductions, the four teenagers were strolling down the street that led to the area where most of the restaurants nearby were. None of them said much during the short walk and all of them felt that the silence was starting to feel a little awkward. This was probably the reason to why they seemed to slow down their pace as they approached a nice-looking Chinese restaurant.

"Anybody in the mood for Chinese?" Oliver was the first one to say anything, and his question was followed by some mumbling and a few nods from the others, before they all headed towards the restaurant's entrance.

They walked pass the outdoor tables as they studied the neon sign over the doorway. _Sunrise Palace_, it said in yellow letters, surrounded by green and red lights that resembled a Chinese roof. The waiter who welcomed them at the entrance, noted that they were four persons and led them inside.

The red Chinese lamps that were placed all over the restaurant, gave a soft glow and a calm atmosphere. People were talking quietly with each other at their tables and low tones of typical Asian music filled the room. The teens got a table by the window and sat down, Cindy and Oliver on one side, and Jimmy and Nea on the other.

As soon as they got their food and started to try out the dishes they had ordered, they finally managed to establish a friendly conversation around the table. The only one who didn't participate actively in the discussion was Cindy. She had made it very clear to Oliver earlier what she really thought of this whole get-together. Although she smiled and commented as politely as she could every time Oliver bumped his elbow discreetly into her side, she didn't say much during the meal.

Jimmy noticed this and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty as he observed the quiet blonde who was poking at her food with her fork. After all, he _had_ agreed on leaving her alone during his stay at the island. But on he other hand, he found it rather satisfying that the flirty tone that had been between her and Oliver earlier was gone. And he could honestly say that he knew Cindy and her reactions to different things very well by now, after knowing her for so many years. She would probably turn back into her old self before they left the restaurant.

Nea, however, had formed another opinion; she didn't want anybody to feel left out. Therefore she gave a wholeheartedly attempt to include Cindy in the conversation, but the outcome that caused wasn't exactly what she had been going for.

"So," Nea started and turned towards the silent girl. "I've understood that you and Jimmy have known each other for quite a long time? You have to be pretty good fiends, since-"

"Huh?" Cindy cut Nea off and raised her head from the cupped hand she had been resting her chin in. "Me and Jimmy?"

Nea surveyed her a little unsure as Cindy glanced doubtfully over at Jimmy. Jimmy cocked his eyebrow slightly, wondering how she was going to handle the situation.

"Oh yeah, me and Jimmy," Cindy suddenly said and smirked at Nea. "Jimmy and I are the best of friends!"

Jimmy rolled his eyes resignedly as Cindy moved her gaze back to him.

"But friends don't usually go back on their word, do they?" she continued sarcastically. "Then I guess we're not friends after all."

"Why can't you just try to socialize and have a good time?" Jimmy asked her a little annoyed.

"I was _socializing_ just fine until you came along!" Cindy snapped, curling her hands into fists on the table surface.

"Cindy, this is not the best time for a fight," Jimmy muttered and gesticulated feebly towards Oliver and Nea, who both looked a little baffled.

"Well, if you hadn't been here, I wouldn't have anybody to fight _with_," Cindy responded irritated.

"I can't believe you're that selfish!" Jimmy retorted and narrowed his eyes disbelievingly at her.

"What?" Cindy stood up swiftly and gave him an incredulous stare. "_Me_, selfish? What about _you_? You're the one who comes down here with some stupid excuse, just so you can get a vacation!"

"Vacation?" Jimmy stood up as well, while glaring disbelievingly at the fuming blonde. "I'm here because of you!"

"I didn't ask you to come!" Cindy snarled, shaking her head slightly.

Nea and Oliver were now exchanging shocked looks. Almost everyone in the room had their eyes on them and both feared that if they didn't go between the angry teens immediately, they would all get thrown out of the restaurant.

Luckily, it seemed like Jimmy and Cindy had realized this, too, and winded up ending the fight themselves.

"I'm going to the ladies room," Cindy said quietly. "I'll be right back."

"I need some air," Jimmy mumbled, before both of them headed in different directions and left Nea and Oliver alone by the table.

"Err, well," Nea said and smiled apologetically at Oliver, feeling a little responsible for the scene Jimmy and Cindy had just made. "If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have said anything about it."

"Oh, don't worry," Oliver reassured her, as he raised his glass of soda to his mouth. "This would've happened sooner or later, anyway."

"What makes you think so?" Nea questioned and shoved her plate a little to the side so that she could put her elbows on the table surface in front of her.

"It was obvious," Oliver stated after he had taken a sip of the soda. When Nea still was giving him an uncertain look, he continued, "Let me put it this way; Cindy was clearly annoyed with someone, and I don't think it was one of us. Well, maybe she was a little irritated because of me, since I came up with this idea, but we came to an agreement before we left the hotel."

"Oh?" Nea said and rested her cheeks in her cupped hands. "What kind of agreement?"

"She was a little skeptical about the dinner and all," Oliver said in a lower voice. "So I told her to try and make the best out of it."

"Cindy was skeptical about this dinner?" Nea repeated quietly and lowered her gaze to the table. Some strains of her long, black hair fell into her face and Oliver gave her a curious look. Nea started to think about the way Jimmy had talked about this blonde girl, and that she in the beginning had assumed that Cindy was a former girlfriend of his, that he still had feelings for. He had told her that they were just friends when she asked him about their relationship, though.

_But what if there _is_ something between them?_ Nea speculated. _Then that would be enough to explain to the way Cindy reacted to my question about them being good friends. No wonder she didn't seem to like me! What would I do if I was going to have dinner with the boy I liked and some unfamiliar girl I hadn't met before?_

"Hey, where did you go?" Oliver looked at Nea questioningly while waving a hand in front of her face, and sent her tumbling out of her thoughts.

"Hm?" Nea looked up at him and couldn't help but to smile at his expression. "No, I was just thinking."

"About what?" Oliver said and smiled, too.

"About our two friends," Nea answered and looked quickly around the room to check if either one of them were on their way back to the table, before she turned her gaze back to Oliver. "Why do you think Cindy was annoyed with Jimmy?"

"I'm not sure," Oliver said honestly. "But what can we know about the things that have happened in their past? I'm mean, they've known each other since kindergarten!"

"Really?" Nea widened her eyes in surprise. "For that long?"

"Yeah, Cindy said so," Oliver declared, before he came to think of something that had puzzled him a bit when he heard it. "But why did Jimmy say that he came here because of _her_?"

"Don't you know?" Nea looked at him a little disbelievingly.

"Know what? I thought he came here to visit _you_," Oliver said and pointed a finger at her.

"Me?" Nea exclaimed, raised her eyebrows and gesticulated towards herself with both hands. "I met Jimmy for the first time last night!"

"What?"

"Yeah, he came by the restaurant where I work and asked if anyone knew about a cheap hotel nearby," Nea explained to the confused looking teenage boy. "We started talking, and it got pretty late, so I told him he could just sleep on my couch."

Oliver looked even more confused now, and Nea added, "I could sense that he was alright. . .I don't usually let strangers spend the night in my apartment! Besides, it's in the basement under the restaurant and the owners live on the second floor."

"But. . .he just came here?" Oliver asked. "Without parents, or any grownups at all?"

"Well, yeah-"

"How did he get on the plane?" Oliver wondered.

"He didn't take the plane," Nea answered eagerly. "He came in his hovercar! Well actually, it kinda looks more like a round boat, but it's really cool!"

"A flying car?" Oliver cocked an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yes," Nea said quickly. "He made it himself!"

"Made it?" Oliver repeated disbelievingly.

"Uh huh," Nea confirmed, smiling slightly at the way he seemed to be getting even more confused by every word she said. "He's some sort of genius. He has told me about a few of his inventions; time- and cloning machines, rockets, potions and robots. It sounds so amazing."

"Yeah," Oliver said and raised a corner of his mouth, not really knowing what to believe. "It does…"

"And it's actually one of his inventions that brought him here in the first place," Nea continued, now in a little more serious tone of voice. "He has this machine that measures the earth activity. It can predict when and where the next earthquake is gonna hit."

"And it's going to hit here?" Oliver guessed, starting to comprehend where this was going.

"Well, at least nearby," Nea told him. "The real danger is the tsunami it'll cause. Especially if it's a big one. But Cindy doesn't seem to believe him. I guess that's why she hasn't told you."

"You're kidding me?" Oliver asked shocked and Nea shook her head firmly. "Wow!"

"I know!"

"When is it?" Oliver couldn't help but ask. A part of him hoped it would happen _after_ he and his parents had returned to America, but another part felt that it was selfish to think that way when he knew that Cindy was going to stay for a couple of weeks longer. _And what about Nea? She lives here!_ He had just met this girl, but liked her already.

Before Nea had had the time to answer, Oliver regretted his question. He was going home this weekend and should be worrying about his friends instead. They were stuck on the island.

"He's actually not quite sure," Nea admitted. "But he believes that it's going to happen sometime next week."

"And he came all the way down here just to warn Cindy?" Oliver tried to change the subject, in an attempt to be a little less egotistic.

Nea nodded her head yes, and Oliver's gaze sunk towards his plate as he started to reflect over other things than being altruistic. "Why would he do something like that?" he mumbled, more to himself than to Nea.

"I guess he likes her?" Nea presumed hesitantly.

"Really?" Oliver looked up at her again. "'Cause I have a feeling Cindy likes him too! As more than a friend."

"Yeah," Nea responded, sounding more confident about her assumptions, now that she shared them with someone. "That's what I get from Jimmy as well."

"Has he told you that?" Oliver questioned her.

"No, not literally," Nea answered promptly. "But I can sense it when he's talking about her."

"And when I met him and Cindy at the beach today, she started to flirt really obviously with me," Oliver told her eagerly; happy to share his theory with someone who felt the same way. "Cindy is a great girl, don't get me wrong, but she's not my type! And I think she knows that; that she and I are best off as friends. But she could be doing it because Jimmy was there. You know, to make him jealous."

"Of course!" Nea smiled and snapped her fingers, like that was the answer to the entire situation. "It _is_ obvious!" But then her smile slowly faded away and she asked him; "But if it's so obvious, why aren't they together?"

Oliver sighed and looked into her dark brown eyes. "Trust me, there could be loads of reasons for that," he replied. "One of them could have done something to hurt the other, their friends could be against it, or even worst; their families."

"That's too bad," Nea said and leant backwards while folding her arms over her chest, glancing around the room once more, to check if they soon would be joined by Jimmy and Cindy again. "They would make a pretty cute couple," she added, when there still was no sign of either one of them.

"Well, maybe we could give them a push?" Oliver said casually.

"Yeah!" Nea sat up again. "But how?"

"If there just was someplace we could go after the dinner," Oliver pondered. "Like a discothèque or something. But there are few places we're gonna get into here, when we're underage."

"Maybe _I_ can fix that," Nea said, smirking. "I happen to know the doorman at _StarShine Nightclub_. It's right down the street. Very hip amongst people in their early twenties; we would blend in easily!"

Oliver returned the smirk and said, "Let's take them dancing, then."

¤¤¤¤

"Oh, I love this song!" Nea exclaimed, just as the four of them had sat down in a sofa booth in _StarShine_ later that evening. She started humming the melody to the Indian song that was playing. "Do wanna dance with me, Jimmy? I can teach you some Indian dance steps." Nea smiled playfully at the boy who were sitting next to her.

"Nah, I don't really dance," Jimmy answered apologetically. Oliver and Nea had managed to speak Jimmy and Cindy into coming with them to the nightclub after the Chinese restaurant. Nea's friend let them in on the condition that they wouldn't draw unnecessary attention to themselves, including buying alcohol.

"Oh, come on," Nea said and tilted her head slightly.

"No," Jimmy said again. "I don't feel like-"

"I'll dance with you," Oliver told her loudly over the table, cutting Jimmy off. "I'd love to learn some Indian dance."

"Great!" Nea yelled back so he would hear her through the music and smiled. She and Oliver got up and headed for the dance floor together, leaving the teenagers who still hadn't said much to each other since the fight, alone.

Eventually, it got quite uncomfortably between them as neither of them spoke or even looked at the other. And when the Indian music faded into a slow song, it got even more awkward. Jimmy decided that he needed some air again and got up without saying anything to Cindy. She followed him with her eyes as he headed towards the entrance and left her by herself in the booth.

After a while, the slow song seemed to get more bass as it faded into a little more upbeat song, and Cindy recognized the soothing tones of Stellar Project's _Get Up Stand Up_. She knew that song all too well and recalled that it used to remind her a little of her feelings towards Jimmy. As the lyrics started, she began to mouth the words softly, not noticing that Jimmy was approaching the table while watching her intently through the crowded room.

_No one can hear the things I whisper  
__No one but you can hear the sound of my soul_

Cindy sighed dejectedly. She used to believe that Jimmy was one of those few people who really understood her when it came to her parents, even if he didn't show it obviously. But she wasn't so sure anymore. The last six months had made her doubt everything she and Jimmy had together.

Jimmy listened automatically to the song when he saw Cindy lip-sync the words, recognizing it from somewhere. _Maybe I heard it during the time I used to borrow her MP3-player in class?_ he wondered, before he remembered that Cindy had actually played it to him once. He hadn't listened so closely to the lyrics back then though, and decided that he would try to pay more attention to the words this time.

As he slowly made his way through the mass of people and drew nearer to the table, he noticed something about Cindy's features that made him stop. _She seems. . .sad_, Jimmy thought as a guilty feeling spread from his stomach and upwards, before it felt like it got stuck in his throat. He had regretted it a thousand times since he backed away from her about six months ago, leaving their relationship to their destinies. But every time, he seemed to convince himself that it was to his own good. That he had done it so he wouldn't get hurt. It wasn't until now he understood that he could've hurt Cindy instead. And maybe that was exactly what he had done.

He felt he needed some more air and decided to go outside again, but just as he was about to change his course, Cindy turned her head and looked him straight in the eyes with her big emerald ones.

_Don't run away from me, I need you_

Jimmy froze. He tried to smile at her, but was sure it looked more like a grimace. Nevertheless, she returned the smile weakly and turned her gaze towards the dance floor again. Jimmy figured it was stupid to leave the room again now that she had seen him, so he walked the last few foots to the table and sat down quietly.

_I'm gonna follow you wherever you go_

None of them said anything. They just sat there on each side of the table, watching the dancing crowd in front of them. Both of them were absorbing the words and tones of the song, thinking that it was playing for them.

_Get up, stand up  
__Open your eyes_

It almost felt like a request. It screamed at them: _Get up and dance! You know you both want to!_

"Doyouwannadance?" They said it very quickly and more or less in unison, which made both of them blush and smile embarrassedly.

_Take me to the limit, never let me go_

"I mean since we're just sitting here-" Jimmy tried to mumble it away, but it didn't have the same effect when he had to yell it over the music.

"I didn't think Jimmy Neutron danced?" Cindy teased.

"Not Indian dance!" Jimmy put up an offended expression, but dropped it quickly when he saw the mischievous smile on Cindy's lips.

_Don't cry, don't lie  
__Open your mind_

"This is different, right," Jimmy shouted feebly.

"Okay," Cindy yelled back and stood up.

_Come and take me over, make me feel alright_

Jimmy looked up at her as she gave him a warm smile. He got up as well, and hurriedly seized her hand to prevent both of them from changing their minds. Cindy blushed again, thankful for the constantly shifting disco lights that illuminated the room.

_I feel I'm fading like a sunset_

Jimmy headed for the dance floor with Cindy right behind. She held on to his hand as he led her through the dancing masses.

_Tumbling softly slowly in to the sea_

They stopped in the middle of the floor and turned towards each other slowly. They maintained their eye contact a little unsurely as they started to move to the beat, keeping as much space between them as possible.

_You are the stars on my horizon  
__And you are always where I need you to be_

But though they started out with a few feet between them, they seemed to gradually move closer to each other as the song went on. It could've been because the floor was so crowded and the space around them was getting smaller, but considering the fact that their hands started to seek hesitantly over to the others hips, arms and shoulders, it was easy to see that there was some kind of invisible magnetism between them.

_Get up, stand up  
__Open your eyes  
__Take me to the limit, never let me go  
__Don't cry, don't lie  
__Open your mind  
__Come and take me over, make me feel alright_

As the chorus repeated itself, Nea caught a glimpse of their friends through the crowd of dancing boys and girls. She was dancing in front Oliver and when she saw Jimmy and Cindy, she bumped her elbow softly in Oliver's stomach and pointed towards the couple that was dancing so closely. She turned towards him and they couldn't help but smile calmly at each other.

"Mission completed," Oliver said loudly so that Nea would hear him through the music, and winked jokingly at her.

"Yep, it looks like she believes him now," Nea laughed.

"Yeah," Oliver replied, knowing that she was talking about the earthquake. "But what about you?"

"Me?" Nea repeated, confused.

"Yes, what are you going to do when the tsunami comes?" Oliver asked her as they kept moving to the music.

"Oh, I'm going home this weekend!" Nea assured him, smiling.

"Home?" Oliver said. "But I though you-"

"I just live here when I work here, during my vacations," Nea explained. "My home is in India, with my parents and my sister. That's where I go to school!"

"Oh," Oliver said as he understood. "Well, then there's no problem then!"

_Get up, stand up  
__Open your eyes  
__Take me to the limit, never let me go  
__Don't cry, don't lie  
__Open your mind  
__Come and take me over, make me feel alright_

On the other side of the dance floor it seemed like Jimmy and Cindy were slowly forgetting about the world around them. They had both surrendered to the music and let the rhythm lead their bodies. It looked like they were born to dance this way; bodies synchronized, caressing and toughing but not much, and in perfect harmony with each other.

_Stay with me forever_

It was strange how these two could dance so tightly and yet follow the tempo of the song. They weren't exactly slow dancing, but any hopeless romantic walking by would probably envy them right away. How could two teenagers dance so passionately, but still not make it look vulgarly? Just amazingly romantically…

_Call my name and I'll be there  
__Follow me wherever I will fly_

The song was eventually nearing its end, but Cindy and Jimmy were still lost in each other. Cindy knew that the song would finish soon, but was still hoping for some kind of miracle to happen so that they could stay like that forever.

_Get up, stand up  
__Open your eyes  
__Take me to the limit, never let me go_

Jimmy was more than ever regretting the fact that he'd given up on them before. He was wondering if it was too late to tell her that he was sorry as he observed the wavy blonde air that was cascading down her shoulders. He liked it when she let it down loosely. It made him realize that he hadn't seen her with her hair down in months, because it had gotten so much longer than last time.

_Don't cry, don't lie  
__Open your mind  
__Come and take me over, make me feel alright_

As the last lines played, they were perfectly aware of the fact that the song would soon come to an end. It seemed like they were both keen on finding a way to make sure that the moment wouldn't be lost afterwards, so they were getting even closer. Closing their eyes as their lips were only inches away from touching…

_YEAH_

The melody had turned into a hip-hop song and both Jimmy and Cindy jumped of the sharp contrast, realizing what they were about to do. They froze and stared wide-eyed at each other for short while.

"Oh my God," Cindy whispered, shocked, before she turned away.

"Shit," Jimmy replied, looking just as dazed as he backed off.

Nea and Oliver watched them, puzzled, as the two teenagers parted quickly and got off the dance floor. They then looked at each other, silently asking: _What just happened?_

* * *

**Author's Note: **It seems like we're not really allowed to answer our reviewers in the author notes anymore, and to be honest I don't have the time to say thank you to everyone "in person". But I'll reply if someone asks me a question, of course! Or if there's something I feel like saying. And I'll keep writing thank you to all of my reviewers, because I _really_ appreciate your opinions!

So thanks to those who has reviewed and to all of you:  
**HAPPY NEW YEAR!** Make the best out of it! ;)

Please drop me a line or two! Reviews give me motivation and inspiration to write faster... :)


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